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"Personally, having had the experience I had as a freshman and through my college career, I wouldn't change that experience for anything."
- Archie Griffin via Tim May, The Columbus Dispatch
Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch had a chance to get the opinions and thoughts of two Buckeye legends when he talked with Archie Griffin and John Hicks about the possiblity of making college football freshmen ineligible to play for their first year on campus. The idea has been tossed around the Big Ten and has recently sprouted a debate among fans and coaches alike.
While Hicks said he was for it, after he played on the freshman team during his first year on campus, Griffin's view had a different look. The two-time Heisman winner came in and started as a freshman, because of the rule changes in 1972 that allowed freshman to play on the varsity team. Both players had their say, so feel free to read the whole article to get more of a feel from it.
"Yeah, he's already got some offers from colleges. It's pretty crazy. It should be a violation. You shouldn't be recruiting 10-year-old kids."
- LeBron James via Lindsey Foltin, FOX Sports Ohio
LeBron James is largely considered the world's greatest basketball player. Making the jump from high school to the NBA made complete sense for the 18-year-old Akron-native, even if it meant college basketball programs couldn't have the nation's best recruit. That might explain why some schools are already sending LeBron James Jr. (a 10-year-old, and one of LeBron James' sons) recruiting letters and even some offers to play for their schools.
Understandably, LeBron wasn't too pleased that recruiters were already pursuing James Jr. considering that he hasn't even entered middle school just yet. We've all seen stories of young kids receiving offers from programs despite their age, but this might top them all. And though Ohio State coach Thad Matta has mentioned before that the Buckeyes have their eyes on him, the school has not sent any offer or recruiting letters to James Jr. just yet.
"Linebackers - Best of the Best: Ohio State. Defensive line - Next up: Ohio State "
- Brian Bennett and Dan Murphy, ESPN
The writers over at ESPN continue breaking down the best position groups in the Big Ten, and have added their takes on some of the best defensive positions in the conference entering next season. Ohio State made the top of the list for linebackers and boast the second best defensive line unit, according to these rankings. With Joshua Perry, Darron Lee, Raekwon McMillan, and incoming freshman Justin Hilliard, the linebacking core is one to be proud of in Columbus.
As for defensive line, only the Michigan State Spartans graded out as a better unit, but only slightly. Ohio State brings back reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year Joey Bosa at defensive end, along with Adolphus Washington at defensive tackle, but losing Michael Bennett and Steve Miller hurts their overall ranking. With new talent coming in, this will still be one of the top units on Ohio State next season.
"It's crazy to think that was the same guy who slipped and fell on his first carry of the 2014 season. It's not that Elliott ever looked overwhelmed in his first season as the feature back, it just took him some time to get going and gain the confidence needed to be decisive in the run game."
- Bill Landis, Northeast Ohio Media Group
The 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes were often regarded as the most improved team of the season in college football, and the most improved team that coach Urban Meyer has ever been at the helm of, according to Meyer himself. Bill Landis of the Northeast Ohio Media Group took a look at five different ways the offense improved over the season that allowed the Buckeyes reach the College Football Playoff and finally win the national championship.
Landis points to the improved offensive line play and moves to Ezekiel Elliott turning his game up a notch down the stretch. From there, the wide receivers improvement in making the tough catches, complemented by the progression of Ohio State's quarterbacks polishing their throws and taking advantage of working the deep ball with Cardale Jones.
STICK TO SPORTS:
- M&M'S Crispy is making its way back to stores in 2015.
- Jack Nicklaus now has his own ice cream brand.
- Eat the Ball? I...I don't know what I expected.
- The second generation of Xbox Live.